Antibody responses in blood and saliva post COVID-19 bivalent booster do not reveal an Omicron BA.4/BA.5- specific response

Antibody responses in blood and saliva post COVID-19 bivalent booster do not reveal an Omicron BA.4/BA.5- specific response

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IntroductionCurrent SARS-CoV-2 strains continue to mutate and attempt to evade the antibody response elicited by previous exposures and vaccinations.In September of 2022, the first updated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, designed to create immune responses specific for the variants circulating in 2022, were approved.These new vaccines, known commonly as the bivalent boost(er), include mRNA that encodes both the original Wuhan-Hu-1 spike protein as well as the spike protein specific to the Omicron BA.

4 and BA.5 variants.MethodsWe recruited volunteers from University of Massachusetts student, faculty and staff members to provide samples of blood and demonhorns edge saliva at four different time points, including pre-boost and three times post boost and analyzed samples for antibody production as well as neutralization of virus.

ResultsOur data provide a comprehensive analysis of the antibody response following a single dose of the bivalent boost over a 6-month period and support previous findings that the response induced after the bivalent boost does not create a strong BA.4/BA.5-specific antibody response.

ConclusionWe found no evidence of a specific anti-BA.4/BA.5 response developing over time, including in golden literider gp162 parts a sub-population of individuals who become infected after a single dose of the bivalent booster.

Additionally, we present data that support the use of saliva samples as a reliable alternative to blood for antibody detection against specific SARS-CoV-2 antigens.